JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said he
believed next week´s Middle East peace summit will be the cue for
Egypt and Jordan to upgrade diplomatic ties by returning their
ambassadors to Tel Aviv.

Such a move could also persuade other Arab countries to forge
diplomatic relations with the Jewish state, Shalom told a meeting of
the Britain-Israel chamber of commerce on Wednesday night.

"I believe that while Egypt and Jordan will send back their
ambassadors, that will enable many other Arab countries to send their
representatives," he said.

"Those Arab countries were looking for a long time for an appropriate
time to send their ambassadors."

Both Egypt and Jordan withdrew their ambassadors from Tel Aviv
shortly after the start of the Palestinian intifada in September 2000
in protest at Israel´s attempts to quell the uprising.

There are now expectations that both Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas will jointly declare that
the uprising is over at Tuesday´s summit in the Red Sea resort town
of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The summit will not only represent Sharon´s first meeting with a
Palestinian Authority president since he came to power, it will also
be the first time that he has met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
(news - web sites). Jordan´s King Abdullah II has also accepted an
invitation to the one-day gathering.

Israeli public radio reported that Egypt and Jordan were expected to
officially annnounce the return of their ambassadors at the summit.